Running Into Walls, Jumping Over Hurdles
by QuincynThorn
Summary: A magical couple, a Gryffindor and Slytherin, who weren’t able to have children of their own ended up raising Harry. As loving as that may sound, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. SSLE, JPOC, AU, fluffy/angst. Dark!Harry fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **I've been a lurker at for some time now, and it took me a while for me to actually create an account. I decided I might as well start with a fanfic that has been in my head for a while. I hope you enjoy this. Please read and review.

**Summary: ** A magical couple, a Gryffindor and Slytherin, who weren't able to have children of their own ended up raising Harry. As loving as that may sound, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. SSLE, JPOC, AU, fluffy/angst. Dark!Harry fic.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter nor will I ever own it. Oh yes, 'tis a sad fate, but it must be so, for without J.K. Rowling, there wouldn't be a Harry Potter. I could never be so ridiculously clever to come up with such a story.

* * *

**Running Into Walls, Jumping Over Hurdles

* * *

**

There was always a wall that I ran into. I loved her; she didn't love me. I wanted to marry her. She didn't want to marry me. It was that simple. I had insulted her so badly in the past that she fell for James rather than for me. That didn't last long, thank Merlin. He was, in short, a bloody ass. He cheated on her…twice. James Potter was a pathetic excuse for a Gryffindor. He was brave enough to cheat on her, but he wasn't brave enough to apologize to her. Instead, the man left her forever, and valued his job as an Auror over his job as a boyfriend.

She ended up coming back to me and we repaired our torn friendship. That friendship eventually blossomed into a romance. In the end she married me, Severus Snape, and we have lived somewhat happily since then. I had jumped emotional hurdles before marrying her, and according to her I had somewhat grown out of my, "emotionless prick," stage. I only show that side to her. Showing that side to others would only mean the ruin of my well-built reputation.

However, we have not succumbed to that fabled, "happily ever after," syndrome. I am running into walls yet again. She wants children and I do not. We have been fighting over this for the past three months. This isn't surprising though. We've always fought about both petty and major things, so this isn't any different. Her reason for wanting children is because she loves them. My reasons include not wanting spawn or offspring, because Merlin knows, there is enough of "me" in the world, and I am sure the wizarding world is in agreement.

My wife disagrees, and therefore I am always running into walls.

* * *

The man is unbelievable. I haven't a clue why he doesn't want children. He claims it's because the world does not need another Severus Snape. That's a lie, and I know it. He has another reason but he just won't reveal it. That or he doesn't know of the underlying reason. The man needs therapy from a psychewizard. He went through so much hell as a child himself; maybe he's afraid of terrorizing his child and his own father terrorized him.

His resistance has made him get to the point where he no longer seems to have interest in what he does. He enjoys potions, sure, but he has no love for that in his career now. He's been blatantly saying how much he would like the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, but Dumbledore won't give the position to him. I have an idea why.

After being pressured into serving under the Dark Lord by his Slytherin peers, he was more susceptible to the darker habits. Yet he made an unbreakable vow to be loyal to Dumbledore with me as the "binder." He will be loyal to the Order and he will not go against them. Yet, he still has the Dark Mark and he is called from time to time to see the Death Eaters. On one hand, I can see Dumbledore's reasoning. He still doesn't fully trust Snape. At least he trusts him enough to actually to let him have the potions position. I just offered to be his Teacher's Assistant. I get a smaller wage than he, but at least we both work and I get to work with him. Sometimes, when he's working on a special potion for Dumbledore or for Lupin…or even for the Dark Lord, I will teach the potions class for him. I think the students are thrilled when I teach. It gives them a break from Snape's usual snide remarks and harsh tone.

If the students truly knew how he could be, then perhaps they would give him respect out of reverence rather than respect out of fear. Perhaps that's why he really doesn't want to have a child. Maybe it's because he's afraid that the child will have only respect for him out of fear? It seems plausible. At this moment, however, I can't just keep focusing on the whys. I must figure out a way to show him that having a child is a wonderful thing. Maybe I could get Dumbledore to talk to him…no. That would be a horrible move. If Snape ever found out that I talked to Dumbledore about something as personal as this, I'd never hear the end of it. He would be furious. I must find some way to overcome this obstacle. I will have a child in the end.

* * *

James strutted into the Auror office with a broad grin on his face. His partner and coworkers were able to immediately pinpoint what exactly was "wrong," with James. James usually came in with a sour expression and a full mug of hot black coffee. Today, he was as happy-go-lucky as Dumbledore would be on the Muggle drug morphine.

"Well, somebody got lucky last night," said Leisian, twirling his wand in his hand. "Who was the girl?" James rolled his eyes. He should've known his partner would be able to pick up on his undeniable contentment. "A pretty girl," he replied.

Leisian moaned and covered his hands over his eyes, dropping his wand on his spotless desk. "You picked her up at the whore-witch house didn't you? Merlin, James, this is the second time this month. Honestly, why don't you just get over Lily Evans and get a real girlfriend?" James took off his beige coat, threw it over his chair, took his wand from his pocket, threw it on his desk, threw the empty butterbeer bottles on his desk in the wastebasket, and sank into his chair, putting his hands behind his head. "I am over Lily, you moron," James said casually. "She was in and out of my life like a dream."

"She was a dream. You went out with her for over a year. You haven't been able to have a commitment to a real woman since. Just admit it and stop going to the whore-witch house. You know how terrible those places are. It isn't right for an Auror. It isn't good for your reputation," said Leisian, as he ruffled through the inbox of case files on his desk. "So, who was she, the witch that made you ridiculously…happy?"

James grinned broadly from ear to ear and looked at Leisian with a dreamy expression. "Her name was Solaris, and I was her first according to the Head Madam of the Triple X Magic House. She was…riveting, in a word. She gave me a fantastic aphrodisiac; I swear, I remember everything in vivid detail and I can actually relive it in my dreams. She had long, dark red hair, and bright blue eyes. The woman was absolutely amazing. She looked like a goddess," said James, leaning backwards in his chair and putting his feet on top of his paper and case file covered desk. "When we made love, her wand shot purple sparks. It was absolutely beautiful."

Leisian simply scoffed at this and said, "You need to get your head out of the clouds. Go get a real girlfriend, _please_. I do want to hear anymore about your love life at the Triple X Magic House. You're my partner. The nostalgia of you going to a Triple X Magic House is getting rather old." James glowered at Leisian, but Leisian and his outrageously calm self took a sip of his own coffee, lifting his green mug off the napkin and then using the napkin to wipe the old crumb residue off his desk.

James took his feet off the desk and began to look for his inbox, finding it under some bland manila folders. As usual, there was nothing new in it, so he began to sort through his mess of papers looking for something of interest. There wasn't anything truly interesting to investigate today. There were some complaints from Mrs. Barbachek regarding her next door neighbor's constant thumping and his misuse of silencing charms in his apartment, and there was one complaint about an enchanted snake being cast by a crazy wizard going through a mid-life crisis.

There was nothing of real value on his desk. That was, until Leisian put something down on his desk that read, "Dark Wizard Sightings." "What's this, Leisian?" James asked, picking up the file and thumbing through it with interest. "We've got some reports about a dark wizard being spotted around Hogsmeade," said Leisian in his thick Scottish accent. "Apparently, a lot of the witches and wizards are feeling it's presence around the Hogshead and Shrieking Shack. It looks like our new assignment is to go to the Shrieking Shack and see if there's anything unusual."

Under any other circumstance, James would've said no to this considering how little evidence was being presented, but something in his heart told him to investigate. He grabbed his wand off the desk, stuffed it in his pocket, and adjusted his Auror badge on top of his beige coat. "Let's go ahead and check it out. Should be more interesting than what I've got on top of my desk." Leisian nodded and he put his wand in his pocket, swept some stray lint strands off of his gray coat, grabbed his black bowler hat with the white median material, and followed James out the door.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Not bad, I think. It's getting there. You must forgive this author for the lateness between chapters; I am currently in college working on my English major. Life is a bit difficult for me at the moment. I'm very, very tired. Hope you enjoy this first chapter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes: **Second chapter. Sorry for the delay. Life at college can be a bitch, you know.

**Summary: ** A magical couple, a Gryffindor and Slytherin, who weren't able to have children of their own ended up raising Harry. As loving as that may sound, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. SSLE, JPOC, AU, fluffy/angst. Dark!Harry fic.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter nor will I ever own it. Oh yes, 'tis a sad fate, but it must be so, for without J.K. Rowling, there wouldn't be a Harry Potter. I could never be so ridiculously clever to come up with such a story.

* * *

**Running Into Walls, Jumping Over Hurdles**

Chapter 2

* * *

_Scritch. Scritch. Scritch. _The quill moved effortlessly over the piece of parchment in small nearly illegible scribbles. His nimble fingers moved tirelessly over the page and he only paused to dip his quill in the ink well. _Scritch. Scritch. Scritch. _There was not a sound in this world Snape found more relaxing. The only exception was perhaps the bubbling of a liquid inside of a cauldron or Lily's gentle laugh. He sighed as he continued to write, hoping that perhaps his theories would come to life on the paper.

To any student at Hogwarts, it would appear as though he was writing senseless dribble about the belladonna and its effects in medicinal potions even though the plant was considered to be poisonous. However, he was writing theories about the belladonna's healing effects when combined with other healing plants such as the lovage otherwise known as the _levisticum officinale _ or even murtlap essence. It was a theory that the medicinal ingredients could not only counteract the poison in the belladonna, but the poison in the belladonna plant could actually enhance the healing effects of the medicinal ingredients when charmed and stirred properly. Snape was writing his theories in a journal so one day he could eventually send a proper entry over to the, "Positions on Potions," magazine, or maybe even the more popular, "Practical Potion-Making."

He had a few of his own theories published a while back and they had received both criticism and praise from the knowledgeable potion-makers of Wizarding England. He was pleased he had gotten so much response. Those times had come and passed, however. He had gone several years without ever publishing another theory or idea, and he was quite sick of the drollery. He decided that he might as well start writing his ideas again before he became too comfortable with the present state of affairs. He was about to dip his quill nib in the ink well again when he felt delicate arms fall over his shoulders and fluid hands drape over his chest.

"Come to bed, Severus," Lily whispered mellifluously in his ear, using one of her long fingernails to drag his black hair from the front to the back. "It's getting cold and the fire's going dim." She kissed his neck, right under his chin. He clenched the emerald quill. Arousal was imminent. "Can you not wait a few more minutes? I'll be done with this in…in…" She was kissing his ears now. Snape felt his ears go pink, and set down the quill. "I suppose I could…" She made him turn toward her, and she began to put her little butterfly kisses all on and around his mouth. It was getting almost impossible to resist now. He felt her hand travel down his chest, to his stomach, and past that. His face flushed red, and he knew it was pointless to even try and stonewall the oncoming experience.

Her mouth was completely covering his now, and she was starting to tug at his white undershirt. He pulled at her nightgown's strings, and the ribbon sleeves started to make their descent down her moonlit skin, while she started to gently unfasten the buttons of his collar. The faster she kissed, the heavier his breathing became, and before the both of them understood it, she had knocked the ink well over the side of the desk and thrown the journal on the floor leaving only the desk behind. She was sliding herself underneath him; lower, lower, _lower, _and _**lower. **_Before the true act of making love, he recalled something important. Important to him, at least.

Breathing heavily, he grabbed his wand from the chair he had been but a few moments before, and said, "Accio Contraceptive Potion!" It flew in through his potions closet. Snape caught it, popped the cork, and was about to help Lily drain it, when he saw her face. She had tears in her eyes, and her finely chiseled face was pointing in the direction of the bedroom. She allowed herself to slide upwards again, took the potion, and threw it on the ground, its contents spilling into the cracks of the floorboards.

"I'm not drinking that, Severus," Lily said, readjusting her ribbon sleeves, and tightening the nightgown's back. "You know how I feel about this. I've already said it and I won't say it again. I'm not taking that potion. I want children, and I want them before I turn twenty-six, at least. I feel that I'm already growing old." It was the fall of 1984, and she was only twenty-three. Old was a very, very long way away. She brushed her hands down her auburn hair, and as if to emphasize her point, she took a stray ribbon from the back of her nightgown and pulled up her hair with it. Whatever sensuality she had displayed earlier was now gone.

Not only did Severus feel disappointed, but he felt as if Lily had played some sort of hideous prank on him. The woman had nearly offered herself to him as she had many times before, but he had to go and open his mouth to get that damn potion. A part of him wanted him to feel desperate, but Snape had resisted the urge. Severus Snape _never _became desperate. She had denied him something that he was _so_ looking forward to. He did not want to stoop to a level as low. "Lily, you know my feelings on this, as well. I do _not_ want children, and I _gave _you the reasons why."

"I'm through waiting, Severus," she said stiffly, walking away from him in the direction of the bedroom, stepping over the now empty crystal bottle that was once filled with a blue potion. "The time is right, I'm ready, and I want children. I'm sorry if you don't want them, but I do. I want to hear the pitter patter of little feet on our floors; I want to sing a lullaby to someone small enough to fit in my arms-"

"Fine," Snape growled irritably, following her into the bedroom, readjusting his undershirt and slipping under the covers of the bed. "I'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow and buy you a kitten. Then, not only will you be able to hear the pitter patter of little feet but it will also be small enough to fit in your arms while you sing it a lullaby, although I'm sure it will prefer the mewing of its _own mother_ to your _caterwauling_."

Snape knew as soon as the words had flown out of his mouth, he had made a _serious_ mistake. Lily, furious, grabbed a pillow, one of the smaller throws from the bed, and stalked out the bedroom door. The bedroom was no longer the refuge he was used to; it was now his prison. Lily had put him in the doghouse. Anyplace he was not sleeping with Lily was, in his most humble opinion, the doghouse.

"Goodnight, Severus," she shouted from the living room couch. He felt his jaw tighten. He wanted to lash out at her, but instead held his tongue and responded with a detached, "Goodnight, Lily." Tomorrow's weather forecast? Cold and bleak, with a chance of acid rain.

* * *

James had walked into the Shrieking Shack with Leisian by his side. Nothing had really seemed out of place when they stepped in. The interminable cold had left James shivering and the lack of heat from the Shrieking Shack was no help. "Well, I'll do a scan for enchantments and see if there's anything awry. You look around and see if there's anything out of place or strange since you're better at the forensic evidence," said Leisian, moving towards the tattered walls of the Shrieking Shack.

James had never really been affected by the Shrieking Shack's so called, "hauntedness," but today was the exception. He felt truly at odds with the place and wondered if the chill was just caused by the unending cold that had been brought with the autumn months, or there was something truly sinister in the air here. He began surveying the shack from the secret passageway from the Whomping Willow, to the top of the shack.

Dumbledore had been kind enough to let him onto school grounds and briefly asked him how he was doing. James couldn't help but shuffle his feet into the melting snow from the night's previous flurry, and mumbled something about doing pretty well as an Auror. Dumbledore had that familiar twinkle in his eye and allowed him entrance to the Shrieking Shack. "Strange that there would be rumors of a dark wizard residing in the Shrieking Shack," Dumbledore had said, rubbing his foot-long beard absentmindedly. "I would have known if an intruder had gotten through this school's wards."

For this, James had no explanation. He had never heard of anyone being able to get into the Shrieking Shack from the outside. Wasn't that supposed to be impossible? He ignored this fact for the moment and continued to look around. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary thus far. He carefully followed the cracks in the floorboards until he got to the very edge of the room. It was once he got to the corner that he found something unusual.

Scratched into the wooden floorboards was something James wasn't expecting. There was a series of four letter scratched into a section of the floorboard. It read, "SLRS." James bent down to view it. It looked like it had been scratched in a hurry, certainly. "Hey, Leisian, did you find anything?" Leisian took a minute to respond. "Nothing. Nope, no charms or spells used of any kind. Whoever it was might've used the Deletrius spell if he knew what he was doing."

"Well," said James. "You might be interested to know I found a scratchmark down here in the corner. It forms the words S.L.R.S. Check for spells around here, will you?" Leisian came over across the creaking floorboards and over to the corner. He waved his wand around the corner. Leisian looked rather irritated. "It looks like this wizard knew what he…or she…was doing. This has got to be something like Deletrius because, I can tell that there was some sort of magical spell put in place, but I can't determine what. Get that scratched wood out of the floor and we'll have the Department of Magical Forensics have a look at it."

James quickly used his wand to crack apart the aged wood that had scratches on it and set it in his protective pocket. "Can we leave now?" James asked impatiently. "I swear on Merlin's balls, I'll freeze if I don't have a hot butterbeer or fire whiskey soon." Leisian took out a fag from his pocket and lit it with his wand, inhaling the smoke and then exhaling it with a contented smile on his face. "These Muggle cigs will warm you up real quick."

"Sorry," James said, going down the stairs of the shack with Leisian following behind. "Anything that smells like smoldering dog shit is non-breathable for me. Besides, Dumbledore already knows something's up with me; doubt he would be pleased to know that I've adopted a disturbing Muggle habit. Let's head back to the Ministry of Magic. I have every confidence that Mortimer's going to want to know about what we found."

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Forgive me for the time in between chapters. Let's see how well you do in your freshman year of college with 7 classes and 19 hours of credit time. Next semester will be 8 classes and 20 hours. It's tiring. X.x I'm pretty dedicating to finishing this story though. Hope you like this chapter. And no, I swear I did NOT come up with the spell Deletrius. Go look it up in the HP Lexicon yourself. Please read and review, thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Notes: **So, I've been busy, but I hope you can enjoy this new chapter.

**Summary: **A magical couple, a Gryffindor and Slytherin, who weren't able to have children of their own ended up raising Harry as their own. As loving as that may sound, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. SSLE, JPOC, AU, fluffy/angst. Dark!Harry fic.

**Disclaimer: **If I owned Harry Potter, I obviously wouldn't be writing fanfiction for it. I would be making a ton of money off of the books and I would see fit to live my life the way I would want it. So far, as a poor college student, that isn't happening.

* * *

**Running Into Walls, Jumping Over Hurdles**

Chapter 3

* * *

Lily wasn't around for breakfast the morning after. In fact, it appeared as though she had gone out of Spinner's End for a while. A tight-scripted letter was brought to his attention by Mimi, his loyal house elf. "Missus Snape told Mimi to give this to you," Mimi said, handing him the letter. "Missus Snape also told Mimi that she probably wouldn't be back until after Mimi served dinner. Mimi thinks the missus wasn't in a very good mood at all; no, not really." The letter read:

"_I'm going out to Hogsmeade for a while. Don't wait up for me." _

_Lily_

It was obvious that she was still angry at him. He was still angry at her too. She had toyed with him last night and she hadn't given him what he desired unless he complied with her demands. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to rectify the situation, but he was almost positive he had better hurry up and figure out something lest she cut off the sex altogether.

Snape knew that when Lily wanted to be cutthroat, she very well could be. He was certain she would deny him every manly pleasure for at least a week until she got her way. It wasn't fair. Snape also knew that he would eventually _have_ to give into his pleasures and give into what they both wanted: a child for Lily and sex for himself. It was that simple. He wondered how long he could delay a child. He wondered if perhaps he could get her a cute and cuddly animal to have her exert all her motherly love on it, rather than have a child right away. He may have suggested it in anger last night, but he wondered how effective that idea might be. At least he could give her a good excuse for adopting it. He would say, "Before we have a child, we need to get used to taking care of something for an extended period of time," and that would be the end of it…at least for a while.

However genius this idea sounded, it would probably fail. Lily would most likely see through this stalling method and leave him to take care of the smelly kitten. Even though the plan could backfire, he might get some sympathy or at least some love if he pretended to like the kitten. Then again, that plan might backfire too. She might pressure him even more to have a child claiming he was good with children if he could keep care of a kitten so well.

He sighed irritably and grabbed the Daily Prophet, deciding that instead of going out and getting something cuddly, he would stay in and try and make amends with Lily as best he could. Digging into a hole wouldn't help matters, but lying low to the ground would. He didn't want to apologize just yet. Merlin knows he didn't want to appear desperate or weak; that just wouldn't do for a Snape. He flipped through the Daily Prophet, bored as ever, and set it back down on the table.

He looked at the clock on the wall. It was nine o'clock in the morning, and she wouldn't be back until six, give or take a few minutes. He knew Lily; she wouldn't be out too terribly late. He went upstairs to get dressed and decided to work on a few more potions theories for magazines like he had last night before he was…interrupted.

His face, his neck, and his ears all flushed a bright red. Damn! Even the thought of Lily _doing him _ on his desk was enough to get him aroused. He tried to block the thought out. It was a bad idea to get aroused at a time like this; his wife was furious at him and even his house elf agreed that she was in a bad mood.

He picked up the papers and spilled inkwell off the floor with a flick of his wand and had them set neatly on the desk again. The spilled contraceptive potion was cleaned up last night. He grabbed the papers he was working on last night, and began to scribble once again. After a few minutes, he simply couldn't take it anymore. He snapped the pen in half. Damn the belladonna, damn the lovage, damn Lily. She was making him crazy. His mouth twitched into a smirk as he realized that this was _exactly _ how it felt when he was trying to get Lily to take notice of him in a "more-than-a-friend," way. He was crazy about her and she was still dating that prick James. Whatever happened to the poor bastard anyways?

_He's probably working as a Ministry dog, _Snape thought. _Low wages and a monthly review or beating from the asswipe known as Minister._ The Minister in the fall of 1984 was currently Elberius Rigmarole and so far, he was immensely popular. Snape, however, believed the man was full of drivel. Whenever Rigmarole was asked a question, he never answered the question. He always waffled around it, and Snape had gotten used to calling him, "The Waffler," whenever he was mentioned in casual conversation. The man was pure tripe. He was known for "reinforcing the inner workings of the Ministry," and Snape had learned from several Order members that his "reinforcements," included berating other Ministry workers, low or high ranking.

He scribbled absent-mindedly on the sheet of paper he was working on last night, and day dreamed of James being treated like shit. It was at least a way to get his mind off of Lily and sex.

* * *

James walked into the large Auror office with Leisian at his side. Every time they came back from working a case, Mortimer Tryst, the head Auror in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, would come up to them and ask how it went. "We had to take a piece of wood down to the Department of Magical Forensics first, but there are very small traces of magic in there," reported Leisian, brushing some ash off his jacket. "We think that someone used the Deletrius spell to get rid of the magical remains. We're hoping that magical forensics might be able to give us some answers about the piece of wood. It looked like the letters S.L.R.S. were scratched in floorboard."

Mortimer simply stared at them. "And that's all you found out? Discovered? You guys went there to discredit the rumor of a dark wizard…and this is what I get in return? Can you give me a legitimate answer? Is there a dark wizard, or not?" Leisian rolled his eyes and rubbed a hand through is hair. "James, answer the man."

"We didn't find any real reason to believe there was a dark wizard in there previously. All we saw was small remnants of magic, the board with letter scratches, and that was it-""Small remnants of magic? Who can cast a Deletrius spell?" Mortimer interrupted. "Oh wait, I remember," he huffed irritably. "A wizard or witch who has at least passed their N.E.W.T.S with flying colors. Yeah, it's a hard spell, but any kid with more than half a brain can do it. Maybe a genius was exhausted with their N.E.W.T.S, set up camp in the Shrieking Shack, and sniffed some Doxycide. Bullshit rumors. Who sent in the report?"

James picked the folder up from his desk and said, "A miss…" He stopped and had to blink twice. The folder, much to his horror and shock read, "A Miss Solaris Winstry. She didn't give an address of where to contact her." Leisian raised his eyebrows. "Wasn't that the girl you shagged last night, James?" he asked, completely ignoring Mortimer's presence. Mortimer raised an eyebrow. "Shagged? Where's she from James?"

James gulped determinably and mumbled, "The Triple X Magic House just outside of Hogsmeade. Shit." "You bastard," sighed Leisian. "I can't believe you didn't look at who the report was from. When was the report filed?" James panned through it with his eyes again and his brow furrowed. "It says three days ago," James said softly.

Mortimer, who had been relatively patient with them up to this point said, in a very dangerous and low tone, "You two, go back to the Triple X Magic House and get her statements if she's there. I want to see why this report was filed in the first place." Mortimer grabbed some of the folders in James' inbox and threw them into the trashcan next to his desk. He stalked off without another word. Leisian took a look at the folders in the trashcan and said, "You think he's gonna make us work this one out all day? No switches?" James rubbed the bridge of his nose, releasing some of the pressure building up in his head. "No switches," he repeated. "Let's go."

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for taking so long. I've been ridiculously busy and finals are coming up. What fun. Please read and review.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Notes: **Next chapter, everyone. Thanks for the reviews! Hope you like it. Once again, sorry for the delay. Finals are a bitch. But hey, I got a 3.81. Not bad.

**Summary: **A magical couple, a Gryffindor and Slytherin, who weren't able to have children of their own ended up raising Harry as their own. As loving as that may sound, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. SSLE, JPOC, AU, fluffy/angst. Dark!Harry fic.

**Disclaimer: **I never owned Harry Potter, nor will I ever own it. Unless I am actually JK Rowling's daughter or something…and that could be remotely possible…like 10 out of a million because I was adopted and it was a closed case. We don't live in the same country, however. I also come from a backwater area. Damn. A 10 out a million chance and I could've owned Harry Potter. Huh.

* * *

**Running Into Walls, Jumping Over Hurdles**

Chapter 4

* * *

The trip into Hogsmeade was dreadful. Gray snow was crunching beneath the feet of James and Leisian. If someone wasn't careful, a person could trip and fall on a stray slip of ice that remained hardened in the cracks of the cobblestone street. It was misty, bleak, and sleeting. On top of it all, it was still freezing. While Leisian was chain smoking his fags, James was forced to have his hands stuffed in deep his pockets and his red scarf be completely wrapped around his neck and mouth.

James took brief nostalgic looks around Hogsmeade, but was disappointed. He wasn't able to find any old friends to speak to, nor was he able to spot some of his favorite shop owners; particularly the owner of Honeydukes, Mr. Talfiet. Mr. Talfiet, aging but still operating, would often stop and wave to James when he passed by and would offer him the latest and greatest confection he had perfected. A few of the favorites of James were Blow-Me-Up Chocolate Bubblegum, the gum that when blown could give you a three minute trip four feet from the ground, Tummy Tickler Peppermints, a surefire way to make you feel as though your stomach was being tickled from the inside out, a good feeling, and Bug Bomb Crunch, a candy that looked like a bug, wriggled like a bug, but when it hit the tongue, it exploded into crackling green candies and glowed in your mouth.

As they passed the sweet shop, he realized that Mr. Talfiet was missing. It was a disappointment, sure, but he wasn't about to stop in and grab something at the expense of their time and at the expense of his pride.

He wasn't exactly sure where his friends were. He guessed they might've been at home preparing for the holidays, or they could've been out shopping in Diagon Alley. If they weren't there, they might've been in the Leaky Cauldron enjoying a nice, hot cup of Comotter's Coffee or chicken soup.

He had the strangest urge to visit and see some of his school buddies again. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, or Peter Pettigrew; he missed all of them. Remus, he knew, was working on odd jobs for the Order, and was being paid meager wages. When he wasn't working to pay for his groceries, he was probably lying face down on his ragged bed begging God, or whatever divine entity that was up there, to take away the pain of transformation. It was damn near impossible to find a job as a werewolf, but the Order was kind enough to help him pay for his monthly wolfsbane potion, his food, his clothing, and his flat.

Sirius Black was off spending his family fortune like there wasn't a tomorrow. With the death of his miserable wretch of a mother, he immediately inherited Number 12 Grimmauld Place, but rarely used it. Instead, he used the gold in the accounts his mother left untouched to give to the Order and to treat his own self. He had been out and about for at least three weeks now, but didn't say a word about where he was going or what he was spending his enormous inheritance on. He told James goodbye, but didn't invite him anywhere.

Peter Pettigrew…well, he was somewhere only Merlin knew. Peter had been working around as shopkeepers for a variety of shops in Wizarding Britain, such as the apothecary straight across from the potion's shop in Knockturn Alley. He seemed to skulk around a lot more than he used to back at Hogwarts, but that was to be expected. Most people changed after school, usually for the better, some for the worse.

As the thought of Peter Pettigrew working in the apothecary flitted across his mind, he was shocked when an old friend walked out of the very same apothecary he just happened to be passing. He heard a high pitched gasp, and a soft querying, "James? Is that you?"

It was Lily Snape, formerly known as Lily Evans. She was carrying a small paper bag in her hands, and was panting slightly. "I didn't expect to see you here," Lily said, running her mitten across the top of her head. "Are you doing okay?" James shrugged, looked across his shoulder, and whistled to Leisian. "Wait up a minute, will you?" Leisian turned back around and said, "Well, I wouldn't have to wait if you would hurry up. Mortimer will have our asses if we don't get some info. He wants this whole thing cleared up before the Daily Prophet thinks there's _actually_ a story here."

Lily looked from Leisian across the street and to James. "On business?" she asked casually, her cheeks turning a sharp red that complemented her hair. James nodded, looking uncomfortable. "Being an Auror…it's a tough job, but I'm…uhm…doing really well. How's S-Snape?" He had difficulty spitting that one out.

"Oh, uh, fine. Busy with potion-making, as usual," she said, blushing furiously now. Her mitten began to pull back the paper bag and what was inside was revealed. _Concep…conception? A bottle of conception potion? _ He read._ Why isn't she just getting her __**husband**__ to make her_ _a conception potion…oh wait…Shit, she's fucking with Snape for a baby? What the hell…_ "You and Snape considering a family?" he asked, motioning towards the paper bag in her hand. She gripped it tightly and slipped it into her pocket.

"I don't think it's any of your business at the moment, James. Look, I've got to go. Send me a letter sometime," she said. Her face and neck were now completely red. She turned away from him swiftly and put her hands deep in her pockets, fingering the conception potion. She practically ran away from him, and left James shuffling his feet in the tainted snow.

He sighed, obviously irritated, and walked through the grey footsteps of Leisian, stopping in front of him. "Your ex being a total bitch, or what?" Leisian asked, puffing on his fag lazily. "Come on," James growled, grabbing Leisian's coat. "I just happened to pass by; she saw me, said hello, end of story. Don't be such a bastard." Leisian raised an eyebrow, and began to walk forward. "Who's a bastard, asshole?" "You are, Leisian," James replied, coming into step with his partner. "Okay, so next time we interview a suspect or witness, I'll be Bastard Auror and you'll be Asshole Auror. Oh, shit, that makes me second…asshole and bastard not bastard and asshole…damn it!" Leisian exaggerated, throwing his hands up in the air.

James was used to this type of jabbering from Leisian. Leisian was the type of guy who managed to get top scores in almost every subject in Hogwarts, but failed at breaking certain social barriers. He ended up befriending James only because James had just lost his other crazy friends and needed a rebound buddy. Leisian and James entered the Department of Magical Law Enforcement together, both became Aurors, and they both just happened to become partners.

As they moved ahead, James saw the sparkler outside a brightly lit window. "There's the Triple X Magic House," James said. "Can you take notes this time?" Leisian shrugged, threw his fag into the snow, and crushed it with the sole of his shoe. "Sure. I hate talking to witnesses. Suspects, however, are much more fun." They took off their coats, walked into the building, and were greeted by the head Madame.

* * *

Lily didn't arrive until 6:30, just as Snape predicted. She looked flushed; her cheeks and lips chapped. "You're home," Snape said neutrally, avoiding eye contact. She took off her coat and hung it in the closet, bypassing him in the hallway, and avoiding eye contact as well. "I told Mimi to fix dinner once you came back. I can only assume you were out doing something productive while I was at home, forced to write potion ingredient essays for the Practical Potions magazine."

She didn't give an answer, sat down at the kitchen table, and picked up the Daily Prophet. "Haven't seen the paper today," she said dully, picking it up and scanning the headlines. "What do you want for dinner?" Snape asked. She didn't answer, and instead, she called for Mimi. She gave a sideways glance at Snape. His eyebrows were twitching. She knew she was pressing some nerves. Productive, indeed. Planning a way to get into her husband's pants without him questioning her motives was, in fact, _very _ productive.

Mimi came rushing down the stairs and said, "Oh Missus is home, thank goodness. What does the Missus Snape want for dinner?" Lily glared at Mimi and said, "If I wanted dinner I would've asked for it." Mimi looked affronted at this rather aggressive way of answering a question, and her large ears drooped. "However," Lily said, winking at Mimi this time, "I didn't have a dessert at the Leaky Cauldron, and I would love a little custard cupcake, with whipped cream, and a few blueberries on top."

Snape, who was watching this whole casual command between Lily and Mimi, felt the skin on the nape of his neck heat up. Something sickeningly sweet and Lily eating it was…well…arousing. "Mimi will get that for you, Missus Snape!" Mimi said cheerfully, and she began pulling small bowls from the cabinets. That was when Lily laid it on thick. "I'm going to go change into something more comfortable. Mimi, make sure that Mister Snape does not leave the kitchen."

Lily stalked in the direction of the bedroom and there was a few soft clicks to be heard before you could hear her humming. Severus was feeling very odd. "You do know that she's seducing me, right?" he asked the house elf offhandedly. "I mean, the dessert, the 'getting comfortable.' You do realize what she's trying to do." Mimi said, almost smugly, "Mimi only knows that Mister Snape and Missus Snape thump almost every week, but this week has been much quieter."

Snape cocked an eyebrow. "Thump?" Mimi sighed and said, "Yes, thump, Mister Snape. The 'thump, thump, thump, thump…thump…thump,' Mimi hears when she's trying to sleep. Mimi was talking to Dicki at Hogwarts when Mister Snape asked me to join him for the first term…Dicki said that thumping leads to babies and its best not to speak of it because Misters and Missuses are embarrassed about the thumping. Dicki also said that most wizards and witches forget to silence the room…because they're too busy thumping."

Snape's face turned an even brighter red. "Ah," he said, coughing lightly. The humming stopped and there was another soft click. Lily started coming down the stairs, a soft _thump, _for every step she took. The previous conversation was starting to writhe beautifully in his head and he wondered what on earth she was wearing.

Or what she was barely wearing. She entered the kitchen wearing a nearly translucent, black lace, mini-teddy. Snape felt his eyes rest on her nipples which were clearly visible and his eyes traveled downwards slowly. "Comfortable?" he asked, crossing his legs in an effort to restrain his arousal, but failing miserably.

She didn't bother answering. A few minutes of silence and a few minutes of Snape trying to keep a straight face passed. Finally, Mimi took the cupcake out of the magical oven and laid it on the table. "Mimi supposes she'll be hearing more thumping tonight," the house elf said, obviously disappointed at the prospect of losing more sleep.

When Mimi walked upstairs, Lily began to dig into her dessert. She picked up the little cupcake and began to pick off the blueberries. She looked at them longingly. "Beautiful little balls. Delicious and full of juice," she said. She began to suck on them, and Snape felt his face twitch uncontrollably.

Once she finished off the blueberries, she began to stick her tongue out and _lick _ the whipped cream off the cupcake. "So wonderful, sweet, and _sticky_," she muttered softly. "I love how sugary it is. Glucose, powdered sucrose, and water…most natural potion in the world." Snape's brow deepened and he couldn't stop thinking, _Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, get a hold of yourself, Severus…don't give in._

Lily however, was reveling in every minute of it. "You know, I've been thinking," she said while she began to munch on the cupcake. "I think perhaps I'd like to be like a member of that one radical American wizarding community…um…the Oneida community, if I'm not mistaken. Free sex, birth control, and then eugenics; the works. I believe I can wait a while longer for a child, and then when we do decide to have a child…we will make sure to raise it to the best of our abilities; a child our own and completely our own. Bred…designed to be a wizard; a genius. I will ignore the fact about the Oneida community that they used their magical abilities to make enchanted silverware and their children, when made, were…taken away from their and encouraged to create their own ideas about the world. I like that, yes, but I prefer to raise my own future children, thank you."

Snape's face was now comparable to the hair color of Lily. "You wouldn't mind it if I took some free sex now, would you?" Lily asked outright, causing Snape's face to drop considerably.

"I-I thought you were still mad at me…about last night," Snape said carefully. She simply stared at him. "Oh yes, I am, but I wanted free sex. Sex…no strings attached."

Snape couldn't stand it now. "Fine, yes, sex, no strings attached. Bedroom. Now. Let Mimi hear the thumping all night long," said Snape hurriedly, pulling off his overcloak, his undershirt, his pants…there was a trail of his clothes leading from the kitchen to the bedroom.

No, Mimi did _not_ get any sleep that night.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **I hope you enjoyed that little "thumping" scene. No, I don't write smut. No, I will not write a sex scene. I will write, "befores" and "afters," but I will never write the act. Sorry. I just don't seem to be able to write that way. Please Read and Review.


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